Trials
by pinnymph
Summary: Smosh AU. So Ian and Anthony are in a world where only the best of the best survive. They've made it this far right? Nope, there's a new trial and a new girl, who might just help them get through their hardest trial yet. No ships(sorry Ianthony shippers). T for swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Anthony**

I was dreading these next few months. I'd just turned 16, one of the last years that I would get to stay with my parents, according to my primary source, AKA, Mrs. Lamberti. Since you guys might be completely clueless to why this is happening, I'll go ahead and fill you in. So, back in 1930-something, there was a war, which threw the world into chaos, and after that, complete anarchy. Small societies have popped up since, but remember, it's been over six decades since that. The land is a wasteland from the nuclear wars. Now, the only thing left of humanity is the few societies which survive still. Now, as children, you undergo trials, tests of faith, teamwork, and perseverance, and that's just the ones I've gone through. They say it's to make sure only the best of the best survive, but I don't think they're doing a good job. In the last trial, you made a jump, a long one. It was pass or fail. I remember it like it was yesterday.

You stood on a cliff face, looking at a six or seven foot jump, a dark abyss at the bottom. Our escort challenged us to toss a rock down. The rock didn't hit the ground until the third person. In my group, there were what, thirty, forty something people? Our escort bridged the gap easily. The first person passed. Then the second. The third. The fourth. But the person in front of me? She didn't make it. I watched her leap, and time slowed as her fingers grasped frantically at the ledge we were jumping to. She fell. I heard her screams, and the _crack_ as a rock, or something, cracked her spine and ended her. I was thirteen, scared out of my mind. Then I steeled my nerves and jumped. I almost didn't make it. One of my feet slipped, and I felt a hand grasp my hand and pull me up. It was Cassidy, a girl who I knew because she talked to no one. I was eternally grateful that she'd saved me.

The thing about these trials is you never know what you're facing. You don't get to prepare. You don't get to train. Nothing. That scared the living shit out of me. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice. "Anthony, wake up. It's time for school."

"Ugh, but I'm so tiiiiiiireeeeddd," I whined. Because even decades, or even centuries into the future, people still whine about going to school. With the trial coming up blissfully out of my mind, I moped about and got ready for school. I reviewed my schedule in my head. Math, and then Science, then History, then whatever it's called with Lamberti, and what am I missing? Oh yes, uh, Languages. God, I really _hope_ that Mr. Ylvsetter will not go ape on Math homework today… please, dear deities above…

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"This year, the trials will be unexpected, _however_ , you will be able to prepare for them, in a way anyway," Mrs. Lamberti explained. She was trials class, which you got before the most rigorous, mortally fatal trials. This was the first year I'd ever had this class, my first _true_ life or death trial. Since this was the first one, they gave us slightly more training than the previous five trials.

"Anthony? Are you paying attention?" My attention was snapped back to cruel, cruel reality as Ian, my friend as of the year before, whispered to me. "Yeah. Yeah," I replied. "During the trials, you will be allowed all the items you have on your person into the trial," Mrs. Lamberti told us, her high clear voice ringing in the high-ceilinged classroom. "You will most likely want to pack some basics, like clothes, water, and food, in case of an" she paused, maybe for effect, maybe remembering something " _extended_ stay." I gulped, and looked at Ian. He looked as scared as I felt, maybe more than I.

"I would also recommend a weapon, for the more physical side, a notebook, for a studious type test, though that one is unlikely," she continued. "Of course, you might also want to look at lights, and various puzzle techniques, because there will likely be puzzles of some sort." I did a mental fist pump. Puzzles had always been more of my strong suit. Ian on the other hand, looked white as a sheet. Sometimes, I really hated society. Not just now but always. Why? Well now is quite simple: they kill off innocent children, eliminate children, grandchildren. I hate past societies because they have reduced us to this. A survival of the fittest system which we went through, even in class. "Mr. Padilla?" Dammit. I was zoning out. Frick. "Will you please repeat what I said, AP?"

"Uh…"

"Will someone please inform Padilla what I just said?" God, Lamberti looked vicious. A hand behind me must've been raised, because the teacher pointed daintily to someone in back. "About half of us will be eliminated, through controlled or slightly uncontrolled methods, used by Trial scientists since 1960's. The rest of us will be taken to a different location where we will be given a more formal education, as well as recommended career paths."

"Very good, Cassidy. Class dismissed." We all got up and left with our books. " _Smooth_ , Padilla," Cassidy drawled behind me, though her malicious sounding voice was offset by the slight knowing smirk on her face. "You realize that we take that class like," she paused to count "sixteen times before the coming Trials? Do you know how short that is?" I did, but Cassidy just put it in perspective. "Just three short weeks," I murmured, not to her necessarily, but more as a revelation. "See ya, Padildo," she whispered in my ear, using the teasing name Ian had given me back in 7th grade. It wasn't flirty, more warning. Being a shy kid, I was unused to attention, but I headed to class, thinking about what I would do when the time came to face monsters in the face. Or dick. Whichever was my height. I almost snickered, but held it in. "C'mon dude! We're gonna be late for class!" Ian yelled at me through the busy hallway. "You mean you are gonna be late to class!" I yelled back running catch up to him. Once I caught up, we both grinned and ran to our class.

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So I was kinda having writers' block on my other story so here ya go. This is what happened. My writers' block on the romance story and the novels I've been reading turned into this actiony, dramatic, story.

So for now, know this is the realm of Outlast-y type stuff, just without major character death, cuz I wouldn't put you guys through that. Tell me what you think. Should I continue? Or should I allow this fic to sit here, wasting away. YOU DECIDE!

-pinnymph


	2. Chapter 2

So hi. I'm back. Not a single review. Also, much stuff in the chapter. See you at the bottom. I do not own Smosh, if you didn't realize.

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Chapter 2 - Ian

"So how was school?" my mom asked.

"Eh, just the usual," I shrugged. "Anthony zoning out every now and again, no tests, BUT," I continued "according to Mrs. L., there's a trial coming up in the next few weeks, our first life or death one." Mom gasped, and then her face set in determination. "Okay then. We" she said, gesturing to me and her "are going shopping." I balked and replied "Mom. Now is not the time to go shopping." She just dragged me to the car. She eased us into the streets and floored the gas, sending us flying towards the Outlet. The Outlet was an over-sized mall, pretty much.

She dragged me into the mall and asked – more like forced – a clerk to give us directions to "Backpackers Place", whatever that was. She wove her way skillfully through the crowded Outlet, until we reached a small store, dedicated to luggage and all sorts of survivalist shit. The store unsurprisingly had only a few customers, murmuring quietly and inspecting various goods. My mom pulled me to a bunch of luggage, shuffled through the bags and held up two bags, one big, and one about the size of my torso. "Which one?" she asked briskly. I pointed to the smaller of the two, and she smiled. "Good choice." She quickly did some mind-palace-type stuff (that's what she told me she was doing anyway), moving her hands as though trying to use some weird magic, which I suppose she _was_ kind of doing. "Okay, if you bring rations for about a week or so, then you can fit two outfits, and that's just inner compartments," she said, looking worried. "You'll also want string, and –"

" _Why_ in the _world_ would I want _string_?" I asked, legitimately baffled. "All sorts of things, like rappelling, securing a path, etcetera." She told me airily; as if this was stuff you did every day. "Now may I continue?" she asked with a smirk. She wasn't asking because she needed my perms; she was asking to be a jerk. And you know what? That's fine by me. Everyone deserves to be a jerk to people every now and then. Mom continued picking out stuff. "Hey Ian!" she called. "Yeah, I'm here mom," I called back. "'Kay, so you want a hunting knife, bludgeon, what?" she asked. "Mom, why will I need this stuff?" I muttered exasperated. "First one I had was finishing this one puzzle, and you were either really lucky, or really good. I was really good, and pretty darn lucky." I sat back, not literally, because in this entire store, there was not a single chair. "I had a" she snapped her fingers "a _khopesh_ , or a sickle of some kind that I found in my starter room. I had brought along makeup. Makeup!" she exclaimed quietly, as though shocked with her own incompetence. "I ended up learning how to jab, pretty basic maneuvers of the sword, and I made it out alive. Chances are that there'll be something that'll attack you in some way, shape, or form." She paused. "Maybe even your friends." She added quietly. I blanched at thinking how Anthony might attack *ahem*, be _forced_ to attack me. "Okay mom." I replied. I quickly assembled a survival pack which was easy to run with, and had all of my supplies. So marked the end of the mall time I was spending today. Thank the deities above! Mom and I went home, and she told my dad, my older sister, who had made the decision to come home this October, and my grandma, Teresa, who looked pale as a sheet when told. Poor Granny nearly had a heart attack when Loren, my older sister, had to go, and very nearly stomped all the way to the government to tell them off. My mom insisted I have the supply pack with me at all times, and that I don't wear floppy clothes, which could get caught on anything, even a corner. Sometimes, my family was nuts.

Despite my mom's happy-go-lucky behavior about this whole thing, she still made me carry the survival pack to school. On top of my regular backpack, which weighed like 5 kilograms (around 11 pounds for those of you not using metric) and the survival pack? It weighed maybe twice that weight, if not more. Not to mention, my uncomfortable school outfit. God, sometimes, I hated my life.

Still, I pressed on and went to school, where already, students were missing. I attributed that to the cold and harsh October weather since only a few were missing. At lunch, I sat with Anthony, who sat with Cassidy, who simply did not care, and talked to her small group of friends. "Do you like her?" I whispered in his ear. He whispered back "Nope, I've got to go throw away my scraps." I let the subject drop and followed him, taking my half-eaten 'edible fork'. I don't know why this is a thing, but some person came up with the idea of "organic, edible utensils", my mom liked it and now here I was, throwing out an _edible fork_ , and heading to recess. At least _that_ wouldn't be boring.

"Hey!" Anthony called.

"Yeah – oof!" I called back, the air forced out of my lungs by a football which Ant had hurled at me. He knew full well that I preferred _not_ to play football. "Please, don't do this!" I yelled at him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I tossed the football back at him, and of course, he had to catch it like he's been playing all his life. Which he has. Frick. Suddenly, there was a piercing whistle. A school lady glared at us from around 70 meters away. "GET IN!" she yelled urgently. I looked behind me to see a massive storm heading straight towards us, almost sentient. I stood stock still, in awe and fear of the thunder and lightning flashing and illuminating the hurricane-like storm. The lady then screeched "RUN!" snapping me out of my stupor, and I ran. I ran like the Devil of Hell himself was after me.

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Hi, how did you enjoy (or not enjoy) the chapter? Leave a review, like, follow, and yeah!

See ya people!


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